Paper-feeding device.



W. MATTHEWS.

PAPER FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1911. 1 45,418. Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

coLvgMBlA PLANOURAPH Co, WASHINGTON, D. c.

- W. MATTHEWS.

PAPER FEEDING DEVICE.

. APPLIGATION FILED MAY 20, 1911.

1,045,418. Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

2 $HEETS-SHEET 2.

UNI-TE wa PATENT @FFIQE WILLIAM MATTHEWS, OF LONDON,- ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR r0 GEORGE WIL I'AM' JONES, or LONDON, ENGLAND. Q

- PAPER-FEEDING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern; 1

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MA'r'rnnws, a subject of the King of England, residing in London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper- Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to feeding devices for printing and other machines and more particularly to automatic feeding devices therefor.

I will describe my invention as applied to printing machines of thetype usually lmown as fiat bed, although it is not necessarily limited thereto but may be applied to any kind of machine requiring to be fed with sheets of material. In such machines a feeding device is employed which comprises two feelers mounted upon levers carried by a shaft suitably journaled and adapted to rock the shaft when the pile o-r stack of papers upon which the feelers .rest becomes depleted. When the pile or tack diminishes owing to the sheets being fed into the machine the feelers remain in contact with the top sheet and descend so as to rock the levers and by means of mechanism which forms no part of the present invention operates a trip-latch which by means of a cam actuated mechanism restores the pile of paper to its proper level. Hitherto it has been found that the surface of the pile or stack of paper does'not remain flat, that is to say, one end or edge as the case may be is at a lower level than the other portions of the topof the pile and consequently the feelers hitherto employed have not satisfactorily governed the feeding operations, for one feeler resting on the pile may if the pile is aslant and the feelers are rigidly interconnected, hold its companion up at the same level, where it will not bear upon that part of the slanted pile which is beneath it.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this draw-back and my invention consists in making the feelers automatically adjustable so as to compensate for variations in the level of difierent portions of the pile or stack of paper being fed into the machine for the purpose that they can bear on both ends of the front margin of the top of the pile even though it be or become slanted or curved.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:Figure 1 illustrates a feeler or dab- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 0, 1911. "Serial m5. scams.v

Patented Na. 26, 1912;

her constructed in accordance with the present invention, and Figs. 2, 3.and 4 illustrate diagrammatically modifications of my invention. I I

Referring to Fig. 1, the feeler or dabher is composed of a plate A and a plate B of any suitable thickness and of substantially the'same area. Plate B is provided with a number of bolts or pins 0 which register with and pass through perforations'in the plate A. The bolts or pins C are tapped or riveted or otherwise secured to the=plate B and attheirupper extremities-are provided with heads or collars'D for thepurpose hereinafter referred-,to. Interposed' between the plates and surrounding the bolts or pins C are helical springs E which normally retain the parts in theposition shown in Fig. 1, the heads D serving to prevent the plate B and bolts C from beingiseparated from the plate A. The bottom. plate B is covered with a sheet of resilient or other suitable material F, for instance rubher. The plate A is provided with a boss G to which is. secured a rod or post H perforated and provided 1 with a set screw L. By means of this arrangement the .feeler or dabber may be adjusted and secured'in position upon a rodwhichpasses through theopeningK.

Referring now to Fig. 2, .M indicates the rod which passes through the opening-K and carries the feeler represented as awhole at N. The rod M is mounted upon a shaft 0 which also carries a second arm M which in the present case is not provided with a feeler or dabberi As the top. sheets ofthe. pile of paper P are removed the arms M-and M will fall by gravitation and in falling will rock the shaft 0 and consequently themem-v ber Q, which latter when it has moved sufliciently far operates a trip-latch in the well known manner and causes a cam actuated mechanism to restore the pile of pa a-to its proper level.

In the ordinary way if the surface of the pile of paper P becomes inclined or curved and the two arms M and M are rigidly in terconnected one or other of the arms would be in contact with the paper and consequently, as for instance when a pneumatic blast is employed for separating the top sheets of paper, the separation would not be satisfactorily performed. According to the present invention, however, if that portion of the pile immediately below the dabber Nis higherv than the. portion. below the arm M the plate B will be arrested by the pile, but this will not stop the descent of the arm M for the arm M and plate A willcontinue to descend, the springs between the plates A and B yielding to permit this and at the same time allowing the arm M to come into contact with the pile of paper. It should be noted that in the construction shown in F ig. 1 the plate B may assume positions which are not parallel with the plate A so that the bottom surface of the dabber always makes good contact with the paper. In order for the bottom plate B- toassume positions which are not parallel with A I make the holes in the plate A through which-the pins C pass with sutlicient clearance. Of course a dabber may be suitably located on the arm M if desired.

Instead of using the construction shown in Fig. 1 located near the end of the arm M, I may substitute for the arm M shown in Fig. 2 a plate or leaf spring arm M suitably secured to the shaft 0 as shown in Fig. 3.

Instead ofarranging that the end of the dabber (such as is constituted by the plate A- in Figs. 1 and 2) should yield under the control of springs, it may be loaded by gravity alone as in Fig. 4 in which the arm M is carried by a sleeve S loose on the sh aft 0 and independent of the sleeve S which carries the arm M. The arm M is also provided with a member Q which independently controls the operation of the same mechanism to restore the pile of paper to its proper level.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a paper-feeding device the combination of a plurality of feelers, a rocking member supporting each feeler, means whereby at least one of the feelers will be automatically adjusted to the work beneath it irrespective of the position of any other feeler, and means whereby an adjusting mechanism for a paper-support can be controlled by any of the feelers individually.

2. In a paper-feeding device the combination of a plurality of feelers, a rocking member supporting each feeler, a yielding device interposed between the connection of at least j one feeler with its rocking member and the paper. over which it projects, and means whereby an adjusting mechanism for a paperesupport, can be actuated by any of the feelers individually.

3. Ina paper-feeding device the combination of a plurality of feelers arranged to project over a paper support, a rocking member supporting each feeler, and .an adjusting means in connection with at least one of the feelers whereby it may be automatically adjusted for cooperating with the paper beneath it irrespective of the position of'any other feeler.

4. A paper-feeding device of the character referred to comprising a rocking member, a rigid feeler carried by said rocking member, and a yielding feeler carried by said rocking member.

5. In a paper-feeding device the combination of a plurality of feelers, a rocking member supporting each feeler, and a member secured to the extremity of one of the feelers and comprising two plates, the upper one of which is secured rigidly to the feeler so that itis normally substantially parallel to the work beneath it, while the lower plate is capable of moving toward or away from the first plate, and spring-members between the two plates tending to separate them.

6. In a paper-feeding device the combination of a rocking-feeler supporting member, and a feeler comprising two normally parallel plates, springs arranged between the two plates to keep them normally spaced from one another, and a projection from the top plate, connected with said rocking member.

7. In a paper feeding device the combination of a yielding feeler or dabber and a rigid feeler or dabber mounted upon the same shaft and operating substantially as hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM MATTI-IEVS.

WVitnesses:

HARRY B. BRIDGE, PERCY G. HEWITT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the {Gommissioner of Patents, Washington. D. C. 

